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Israel Opens 'Western Erez' Crossing in Northern Gaza as Actions Increase in South; U.S. Warns Against Major Military Ground Operation in Rafah; Satellite Analysis Shows Major Damage to Gaza's Agriculture; Ex-Trump 'Fixer' Michael Cohen to Testify on Monday; 300+ People Killed from Flash Floods in Afghanistan; Malaysia to Give Apes to Countries that Buy Its Palm Oil; Scientists Milk Venom from Deadly Marine Life for Medicine; 'Gold Gala' Celebrates Asian-Pacific Islander Achievements. Aired 12-1a ET

Aired May 13, 2024 - 00:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[00:00:30]

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hello and welcome, everyone. I'm Michael Holmes. Appreciate your company.

Coming up here on CNN NEWSROOM, as Israel launches new attacks across Gaza, U.S. officials repeat their warnings against the major military ground operation into Rafah.

A new architect of Russia's brutal war in Ukraine. Vladimir Putin replacing his defense minister with a civilian economist.

And using an endangered species to sell palm oil. Why conservationists say Malaysia's new orangutan diplomacy is an outrage.

ANNOUNCER: Live from Atlanta, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Michael Holmes.

HOLMES: As Israel continues to plan an expansion of its military operations in Rafah, the Palestinian death toll from the war there has passed 35,000, according to Gaza's Ministry of Health.

On Sunday, a large explosion in Gaza. You can see it there. This as the health ministry says at least these 63 more people were killed over the weekend. Many others wounded.

Meanwhile, U.S. officials are warning that a full Israeli invasion of Rafah could lead to massive civilian deaths. The U.S. secretary of state says it could leave, quote, "a vacuum filled by chaos."

So far, more than 300,000 people have reportedly evacuated Rafah, but they say they have no safe options.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAHER AL-RABAIA, DISPLACED PALESTINIAN (through translator): We are tired and lost. We don't know where to go. In a small area, we are lost. No one is standing with us, not Netanyahu nor Muslims, nor Saudi Arabia, nor any Arab country. This is the destruction. We are working as workers. I lift with a shirt and a torn undershirt. I'm working as a worker for ten shekels. We are suffering from the high prices from one side and the war from the other side. And we are displaced. I swear since five days, I only had one meal.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Israel says it's opened a new crossing to allow humanitarian aid into the enclave in coordination with the U.S. The Western Erez Crossing, as they're calling it, is in Northern Gaza. The U.N. says no aid has come through Southern Gaza over the past several days.

CNN's Paula Hancocks now with more on the aid situation and the evacuations from Rafah.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Some 300,000 Palestinians are believed to have evacuated Rafah so far. These are figures we're getting not just from the U.N. on the ground, but also the Israeli military.

And this is as the IDF is continuing its limited operations at this point in Eastern Rafah, but they are calling for civilians to evacuate. Many of them -- we're hearing from UNRWA, for example, the U.N. group on the ground are literally moving anywhere they possibly can.

They're being told there's an area along the coast, al-Mawasi, which is considered, according to the Israeli military, a humanitarian safer zone. But according to the U.N., it is an inhumane displacement, pointing out that this area that they are being told to move towards is simply not suitable for the sheer number of people and -- and the humanitarian support simply isn't there at this point.

Now, the humanitarian support --

HANCOCKS (voice-over): -- and the aid that is getting into these areas of Rafah in Southern Gaza have been severely hampered over recent days since this operation began.

We know that the Israeli military is in control of the Rafah crossing. This was a key crossing to get the humanitarian aid trucks in. And we understand that Egyptian officials at this point are not coordinating with Israel to get more trucks in, because they are citing security concerns.

It's not just managing to drive a humanitarian aid truck through into the Gaza Strip. You are driving into a war zone, and it is extremely difficult to then be able to safely distribute the aid once inside.

Now we understand, according to the Israeli military, that they have opened another crossing now, they say, in the North of Gaza. They're calling it the Western Erez Crossing.

But at this point, the critical concentration of displaced is in the Southern area, is in the Rafah area, and according to U.N. teams on the ground, they are rapidly running out of aid to be able to help those people.

Now when it comes to the fighting, as well, we are hearing from the Israeli military that it's not just in Rafah that they are engaging Hamas. They are also fighting in Central Gaza. They are fighting in Northern Gaza.

[00:05:13]

Jabalya refugee camp, for example. The Israeli military say that they have issued evacuation orders there, as well, as they are fighting Hamas. They say they have intelligence that Hamas has tried to regroup and tried to reassemble in this particular area.

And this is an area that the Israeli military said that they had cleared and that was -- was controlled by them and had -- had been operated in many -- many months ago.

So this -- this really is an indication --

HANCOCKS: -- of how difficult it is for Hamas to be totally destroyed, as the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted his military will do.

Paula Hancocks, CNN, Abu Dhabi.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan spoke with his Israeli counterpart amid those growing concerns about Israel's military actions in Rafah. The White House says he discussed how to, quote, "ensure" the defeat of Hamas without an expanded invasion of the Southern Gaza city.

CNN's Kevin Liptak with more on that.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: American officials are continuing to warn strongly against a ground invasion of Rafah, really channeling President Biden's view --

LIPTAK (voice-over): -- that American weapons should not be used in an operation that they view as ill-advised and very, very bloody.

And those concerns were raised in a phone call on Sunday between President Biden's national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, and his counterpart in Israel.

The White House says that Sullivan raised those concerns, discussed alternatives to a ground invasion of Rafah. Israeli national security adviser said that those concerns were being taken into account.

But at the end of the day, these concerns are nothing new. President Biden has been raising them with the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, in phone calls dating back to February. And there are no signs that Netanyahu is necessarily taking those views into account. He has said that a ground invasion of Rafah is necessary to completely

eliminate Hamas. That view is completely at odds with what we heard from American officials on Sunday, including the secretary of state, Antony Blinken, who said that a ground invasion of Rafah could launch a Hamas insurgency.

Listen to more of -- a little bit of what he said.

ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: They will be left holding the bag on an enduring insurgency, because a lot of armed Hamas will be left, no matter what they do in Rafah.

Or if they -- if they leave and get out of Gaza as we believe they need to do, then you're going to have a vacuum and a vacuum that's likely to be filled by chaos, by anarchy, and ultimately by Hamas.

Again, we have the same objective as Israel. We want to make sure that Hamas cannot govern Gaza again. We want to make sure it's demilitarized. We want to make sure that Israel gets its leaders. That's what were determined. We have a different way, and we think a more effective, durable way of getting that done. We'll remain in conversation with Israel about exactly that.

LIPTAK (voice-over): Now Blinken also said that the U.S. believes Israel has killed more civilians than Hamas members over the course of this war. He also said that the U.S. hasn't seen a plan from Israel for security and governance in Gaza once this war ends.

So really, taken all together, these are some of the strongest words that we've seen from the Biden administration --

LIPTAK: -- directed toward Israel since the start of this conflict. And it really does go to show that this relationship and this war are very much reaching an inflection point.

Kevin Liptak, CNN, traveling with the president at Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: Now Israel's war on Gaza has decimated the enclave's ability to produce its own food. According to an investigation by "The Washington Post," more than six months into Israel's invasion, the territory's already vulnerable agricultural system is now on the brink of collapse.

The paper's analysis using agricultural data, satellite imagery, and interviews with experts and Palestinians to show the destruction of food and water resources there.

While Israel expands its Gaza offensive into Rafah and forces Palestinians to flee, aid officials are sounding the alarm the area will soon run out of food.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) HAMISH YOUNG, SENIOR EMERGENCY COORDINATOR IN GAZA, UNICEF: Food stocks to support the people in the South are expected to run out in the coming days. And the last functioning bakery in the South is about to run out of fuel.

At a time when people have been forced to pick up and move again, life-saving supplies that sustain and support them have been entirely cut off.

So let's be very clear. This will result in children dying. These are deaths of children that can and must be prevented.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: He Yin is an assistant professor of geography at Kent State University. He joins me now.

[00:10:05]

Professor, depressing research. But what it has shown -- tell us what it has shown in terms of damage done to the agricultural sector in Gaza.

HE YIN, ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF GEOGRAPHY, KENT STATE UNIVERSITY: Yes, so what we see from some of that data is really, really devastating.

So using cellular data, we estimated that almost more than half of agriculture land was completely destroyed. That means nothing left.

Regardless, the trees -- regardless the (UNINTELLIGIBLE) or the greenhouses. They're pretty much completely gone. So this is really devastating, because its much higher than the other armed conflict in the regions, like Syria.

HOLMES: Yes. You know, as experts like you have said, I mean, Gaza's agricultural system was already vulnerable before this conflict. How would you describe it now?

YIN: Well, I seriously have no words for this, because as you mentioned, that before the war that's already really bad for the insecurity. You know, 2 million people living in really limited space, not enough land. So they all relied on the food, you know, import and the aid.

And right now and with almost a half of agricultural land gone, the situation can only be more grim.

HOLMES: Yes. You touched on this, and I want to ask you about it. You have studied other war zones: Syria, Chechnya, and so on. How does the level of destruction, comparative to size, as well, in Gaza compare to those places?

YIN: Yes. So in Gaza, the situation is extraordinary, because in Syria and Chechnya, we did see a record amount of damage. But not so much. For example, in Syria and also in Chechnya, the damage rate, let's see, around a 20 percentage, I would say. Twenty percent of agricultural land got the damage.

But in Gaza, it's like from the half percentage. But sorry, 50 percentage.

But also, we saw a lot of direct impacts. For example, In Syria or in Chechnya, a lot of the impacts are indirect. Which means the farmers left the land. So there was abandonment.

But in Gaza, we saw a direct impact: the field that created disorder right away. So that is really astounding.

HOLMES: yes. And, you know, when you look at what you have seen, the evidence that you have, do you see any obvious military objective in these specific agricultural areas?

Do you see a reason why they would be destroyed like this?

YIN: That's a very good question. So it's not easy, but from the satellite data, we can see some traces. You know, just like dark magic, you know, leaves a mark.

So we can see that there are some craters. Sometimes we see the track of the bulldozers. Sometimes we see like a burning. So that's a lot of stuff going on. It's definitely not to like one factor but multiple strategies, operations, military operations, and other factors caused that damage that we saw from the satellite data.

HOLMES: Yes. When we talk about crops or, I guess, even greenhouses, I mean that -- that's one thing, because they can be, you know, rebuilt, if you like.

But when we're talking about fruit orchards or olive groves, some of them, you know, 100 years old, being bulldozed. They can't just be easily re-established.

How long could it take for Gaza to rebuild its food production, given the level and the type of destruction?

YIN: Ohm boy, this is really tough. You know, as we know, it's not like if the war ends right now, the farmers can go back, they can you know, plant the trees and have a harvest next year. No way.

Because a tree takes years to grow. And it will take at least for three years to have, like, a first harvest. And the trees are not even mature in a year.

And if we think about, you know, knots (ph), like if he's talking about, it takes at least several years, the farmers might have some economic returns.

So you can imagine, even the war just stops now, tonight, there is still -- there is still no way to, you know, reconstruct the agriculture sector, particularly the tree crops, within the next three years. It's a long term and hard (ph).

HOLMES: Yes. Yes. Some of these olive trees can be centuries old. Professor --

YIN: Correct.

HOLMES: Yes. Professor He Yin, thank you so much. I really appreciate your information, your expertise, and the study that you did.

YIN: Thank you, Michael.

HOLMES: Russian President Vladimir Putin has replaced his defense minister, Sergei Shoigu, with a civilian. Shoigu was criticized for his handling of the invasion of Ukraine, most forcefully by the late Wagner chief, Yevgeny Prigozhin.

The Kremlin said Shoigu has now been appointed secretary of Russia's security council. He'll also oversee the country's military industrial complex.

[00:15:09]

The new defense minister, Andrey Belousov, previously served as first deputy prime minister. The Kremlin spokesperson explaining why Putin made the change during a media call on Sunday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DMITRY PESKOV, KREMLIN SPOKESPERSON (via phone) (through translator): Today on the battlefield, those who are more open for innovations, more open towards a quick implementation on the innovations, win. That is why it's natural that, on the current stage, the president has taken the decision for a civilian to be in charge of the Ministry of Defense.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: He also highlighted the country's rising military spending, saying it is approaching levels last seen during the Cold War.

At least 15 people are dead after Ukraine bombed the Russian city of Belgorod on Sunday, according to Russian state media. Rescuers trying to dig out any survivors after this high-rise apartment building was hit.

Russian authorities say the number of casualties will likely increase.

Belgorod borders Ukraine's Kharkiv region, where intense battles between Russian and Ukrainian forces are underway.

Russia claims to have captured four more villagers in the Kharkiv region after launching a surprise cross-border attack on Friday. Ukraine's army chief says the situation on the Northern front has, quote, "significantly worsened."

But he didn't comment on Russia's claims, which CNN cannot independently confirm. Ukrainian police officers also evacuated residents from a city in the

Kharkiv region on Sunday. As Russian forces pushed in, Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, saying this is quite a new wave of counteroffensive actions by Russia.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): We are also paying constant attention to other areas of the combat operations. The Donetsk directions (ph) is no less acute now. In fact, the idea behind the attacks in the Kharkiv region is to spread our forces and undermine the moral and motivational foundation of the Ukrainians' ability to defend themselves.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Day 16 of Donald Trump's criminal hush money trial will kick off in the coming hours. Trump's former attorney and fixer, Michael Cohen, is expected to take the stand. And prosecutors say it is entirely possible they will rest their case by the end of the week.

CNN's Zach Cohen with more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ZACH COHEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Prosecutors in Donald Trump's hush money trial are expected to call a key witness to the stand on Monday.

COHEN (voice-over): The testimony of Michael Cohen, Trump's onetime attorney and fixer, could make or break the Manhattan district attorney's case against the former president. He's the only witness who will testify about Trump's involvement in both the alleged decision to pay adult film actress Stormy Daniels $130,000 to keep her from going public about a past encounter with the former president ahead of the 2016 election, and the plan --

COHEN: -- to reimburse Cohen for advancing the money.

Now, tying Trump to both the decision to pay Daniels and the reimbursement is critical for prosecutors --

COHEN (voice-over): -- who are seeking to prove Trump allegedly falsified business records to keep Daniels quiet.

Now, the jurors have already heard a lot about Cohen from other witnesses who have testified over the last three weeks and most of it has been unflattering. Trump's defense attorneys will likely try to further --

COHEN: -- undercut Cohen's credibility during what is sure to be a tense cross-examination.

Prosecutors, meanwhile, have tried to lay the groundwork for Cohen's testimony by introducing documents, including emails and texts they say back up his version of events. Ultimately, the case could come down to whether or not the jury finds

Cohen's testimony credible or if Trump's attorneys are able to convince them otherwise.

Zachary Cohen, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: Still to come on the program, flash flooding in Afghanistan kills hundreds and wipes out entire villages. We'll have the latest on the damage and calls for help.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:21:03]

HOLMES: More than 300 people are dead after devastating flash floods in Afghanistan over the weekend. That's according to the World Food Programme.

The floods have destroyed entire villages, washing away homes, livestock, and access to clean drinking water and food. Taliban officials are now calling on the international community for help.

CNN's Anna Coren has reported extensively on Afghanistan, following this story from Hong Kong for us.

Anna, just horrible images coming from Afghanistan, a place that can ill afford more bad news.

ANNA COREN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's right, Michael. It's just misery upon misery. I know this is a place very, very dear to your heart, as well.

But look, the images coming out of Baghlan province in the North of Afghanistan are extremely distressing. We're -- we're working to get this video cleared, but it's been shared on a journalist group in Afghanistan. And it shows as the ferocious flash flooding hits multiple villagers and then, moments later, children are being pulled from the mud by villages.

Children, you know, kids, toddlers. They're shaking. They are shell- shocked. Their mothers have been swept away. And then there's images of the bodies of many dead children also being pulled from the mud.

We believe this happened on Friday around the time of Friday prayers when many men and boys were at the mosque. You know, women and children, young girls were at home. And this area, the North of the country, has been hit by unusually heavy rainfall.

This area, it's mountainous, and the provinces that have been hit hardest, you know, it extends from Herat in the West over to Ghor, Takhar, Badakhshan, and then Baghlan in the Northeast.

Now, as you say, the World Food Programme and the Taliban is claiming that more than 300 people have been killed, over 1,600 injured, and then thousands of homes destroyed.

But there is, Michael, a wide discrepancy between the Taliban's official numbers and those from humanitarian groups who believe that the death toll is, in fact, much higher, as we say. You know, these flash floods in these mountainous regions have hit five provinces. And some of these areas incredibly remote, now inaccessible.

But let's have a listen to Muhammad Yahqoob. He is a father in Baghlan province who lost 13 family members. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MUHAMMAD YAHQOOB, RESIDENT (through translator): We have no food, no drinking water, no shelter, no blankets, nothing at all. The floods have destroyed everything. Out of 42 houses, only two or three houses remained. The floods have destroyed the entire valley.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COREN: You look at those blue skies behind him, Michael, it's just surreal to think what has taken place.

Aid groups, they are very concerned about the humanitarian crisis that will undoubtedly follow. You mentioned the health care facilities and that vital infrastructure that has been destroyed.

You know, access to water, access to food. Afghanistan, as we know, is one of the poorest countries in the world. And more so since the Taliban took over in 2021.

International aid propped up the economy. Well, that has completely, you know, dried up. And the crisis magnified, you know, due to the Taliban's treatment of girls and women.

You mentioned in response to these floods, the Taliban is calling on the international community to come to their aid. But I should also mention, Michael, you know, Afghanistan is prone to so many natural disasters. You know, just last month, we saw more deadly flooding. Last year was the worst drought in 30 years. Earthquakes on top of that.

You know, Afghanistan is feeling the full brunt of climate change. And the U.N. believes it is one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change, Michael.

HOLMES: Yes, just dreadful. Anna, appreciate your reporting on this. Anna Coren there for us.

[00:25:07]

Well, at least 37 people were killed after flash floods and cold lava flowing from an active volcano on Indonesia's Sumatra Island. The floods affected four districts, sweeping people away and submerging buildings. You can see some of the damage there.

Officials say more than a dozen people were also injured. Cold lava is a mixture of volcanic material and pebbles that flow down a volcano's slopes during wet weather.

Well, China has panda diplomacy. Australia have their koalas. And now Malaysia's attempt to launch its own animal ambassador is being met with heavy scrutiny. We'll have that after the break.

Also, we'll explain how -- how poison from some of Australia's deadliest marine life is being used for medicine and medical research.

Stay with us. Much more to come after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Welcome back to our viewers all around the world. I'm Michael Holmes. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM.

Now, Malaysia hopes gifting wild orangutans to its trading partners will help boost business and its environmental reputation. But many conservationists are skeptical about orangutan diplomacy, as some call it.

Others -- some are calling it obscene.

Malaysia is looking to leverage the critically endangered apes by gifting them to countries that buy its palm oil. Clearing land for palm oil plantations has been a major driver of deforestation, which is the greatest threat to the survival of orangutans in the wild.

Palm oil is the world's most widely consumed vegetable oil, used in a variety of products from shampoo to ice cream. And Malaysia is the world's second biggest exporter.

Here to discuss further is Dr. Felicity Oram, a scientific advisor for the Malaysian Primatology Society and director at the Human Orangutan Coexistence Project called OranJUGA. She joins us via Skype from Seattle, Washington, and thanks for doing so.

What is your reaction to this idea, what some have called orangutan diplomacy?

DR. FELICITY ORAM, SCIENTIFIC ADVISOR, MALAYSIAN PRIMATOLOGY SOCIETY: Yes, indeed. I think it's very easy for people to become confused, especially with respect to orangutans, because on the one hand, they're an exceptionally lucky animal, because many people all around the world, including in their native countries of Indonesia and Malaysia, wish for Asia's only great ape species to continue to survive and share the planet with us.

However, on the other hand, with lots of concern can come many misunderstandings. For myself and fellow conservation practitioners, including oil, palm sustainability teams working together on the ground where wild orangutans live, the fact that the minister of plantation -- plantations and commodities was the opening speaker at a conference to discuss coexistence with iconic native species such as orangutans, elephants and tigers, was already in and of itself, an important act of orangutan diplomacy.

HOLMES: Right.

ORAM: Because it telegraphed some commitment to, at the national level to cooperate for positive change --

HOLMES: But a bit --

ORAM: -- within Malaysia.

HOLMES: Yes, I guess the critics sort of say this idea of gifting orangutans to countries that buy palm oil could just, you know, accelerate, encourage deforestation rather than help the issue.

Would you agree, or do you see cooperation with the industry as essential for orangutans?

ORAM: Yes, actually, the work that we do on the ground, trying to facilitate coexistence and the research that I have done, is that the fact is that where oil palm is grown most readily is the lowlands along rivers.

And that is also the habitat that is best for orangutans. So those remaining orangutans in the forest remain. And the oil palm growers are -- are --

HOLMES: Yes, at odds.

ORAM: The oil palm growers become essential. They're at odds, but they're also essential to the oil palm growers as the largest land administrators in the area are essential partners for conservation practitioners --

HOLMES: I know --

ORAM: -- to work with.

HOLMES: Yes, I know. I know you work in situ with orangutans. And -- and I think that's important --

ORAM: Yes.

HOLMES: -- as opposed to those that, you know, are in captivity. How badly have orangutans been hurt by deforestation, not just in Malaysia, but you know, other palm oil exporting places like -- like Indonesia, as well.

I mean, one imagines you would like to see them in habitats preserved in that natural environment, not as gifts to zoos, right?

ORAM: Yes. Well, I think that, to answer your question, as orangutans are a wholly native forest-dependent species so without diverse native forests, there can be no wild orangutans.

And our research with colleagues has found that orangutans can withstand moderate degradation and quite remarkable levels of forest fragmentation, but they cannot survive where there is no forest. And also what we find is that male orangutans that usually migrate seasonally with routing cycles across very broad landscapes, now increasingly need to cross these areas where no forest exists.

HOLMES: Right.

ORAM: And they need to have that free passage.

HOLMES: So -- so --

ORAM: This is an example of where we have to collaborate.

HOLMES: Right. Yes, so how much more pressure needs to be put on sort of maintaining those habitats, something the palm oil industry says, it's made efforts to improve sustainability, reduce deforestation.

What damage has already been done to those habitats and the environment? And can it be clawed back, because everyone wants to see these -- these guys, you know, in jungles, not palm oil plantations.

ORAM: Yes. Well, I think -- I think that it's important to preserve what habitat they have left, especially in the lowlands along rivers.

And I think that the oil palm plantations, companies they work, it's very new territory for them to work together with conservationists. And just like it's new territory for conservationists to work together with oil palm industry.

But I think there's a will and an understanding that there's a certain amount of giving back that -- that needs to be done.

HOLMES: Well --

ORAM: So they're working on efforts to -- I mean, we're working on efforts to help them preserve forests that are still standing within their estates --

HOLMES: Right.

ORAM: -- because they are critical habitat. Stepping stones.

HOLMES: Absolutely. I think there's more orangutans in captivity than in the wild, but I mean, obviously, some -- some compromise is a good thing. We're right out of time, I'm afraid.

Dr. Felicity Oram, please -- I don't mean to cut you off. We are up against the clock. Thank you for the work that you're doing. I know you work very hard on this cooperation and trying to improve things. Appreciate it. Thank you.

[00:35:08]

ORAM: Thank you.

HOLMES: Well, scientists at one facility in Australia are on a potentially deadly mission to help save lives. They're collecting poison from some of the continent's deadliest

marine creatures so it can be turned into antivenom and other medicines. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES (voice-over): It can be painful and risky. But it's a necessary job to save lives. Venom milking. Tanks of venomous fish sitting in Jamie Seymour's lab, some of the deadliest marine animals in Australia.

JAMIE SEYMOUR, TOXICOLOGIST, JAMES COOK UNIVERSITY: Australia is, without a doubt, the most venomous continent in the world.

HOLMES (voice-over): The stings from some marine life, like the Box and Irukandji Jellyfish can be fatal.

Seymour says, you'll feel the most unbearable pain, and he knows. He says he's been stung 11 times in all.

SEYMOUR: It feels like someone takes a big elephant and sticks it on your chest so you can't breathe. I get severe pins and needles like someone's got a red-hot poker and is sticking it in the joints.

HOLMES (voice-over): But even with the risks, Seymour and his team are working to save the lives of people who may be stung by one of these animals. They're taking venom and turning it into antivenom by extracting deadly fluid from the fishes' venom glands.

They then send off what's been captured to another lab where they inject the venom into an animal with a strong immune system such as a horse, which then produces antibodies, which are extracted, purified, and reduced for humans.

Now, what was once deadly creates something lifesaving. Seymour says the need for antivenom may increase as ocean temperatures rise due to climate change. Warmer waters are pushing the marine life further South and can also change the toxicity of the venom.

This could then make pre-existing antivenoms ineffective.

SEYMOUR: It is only a matter of time before these animals turn up in large enough numbers, and the only option we have down here at the moment is to shut the beach.

HOLMES (voice-over): Meanwhile, after successful testing on mice, studies have shown antivenom could possibly treat conditions like arthritis. Researchers have only used one of hundreds of different components in venom, so there's much more to discover to find the true power of antivenom.

SEYMOUR: Can we find the next cure to cancer, arthritis, things of that nature? So it's sort of an open slider (ph) to do whatever you really want to.

(END VIDEOTAPE) HOLMES: Still to come, a night to remember at the Asian Pacific Met Gala. We'll hear from authors, actors, and TV hosts who attended that red carpet event. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Well, the stars came out for L.A.'s Gold Gala. It's held every year to honor Asian Pacific contributions to the creative arts and more.

CNN's Kristie Lu Stout has that story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Stars arrived at the Music Center in downtown Los Angeles Saturday to attend the annual Gold Gala, a gathering of who's who in the Asian Pacific community.

The event celebrates the non-profit Gold House's A100 list, 100 changemakers making a significant impact in areas like entertainment, fashion, technology, and more.

PRABAL GURUNG, FASHION DESIGNER AND GOLD GALA CREATIVE DIRECTOR: It's great to see that kind of visibility. There's a long way to go still. You know, obviously, we feel that way. But the progress is being made.

STOUT (voice-over): Among this year's honorees, Padma Lakshmi.

PADMA LAKSHMI, AUTHOR AND TV HOST: I just feel seen. I feel so humbled to be included.

STOUT (voice-over): And Lucy Liu.

LUCY LIU, ACTRESS: It's a really important time to be together in this community.

STOUT (voice-over): When it comes to Hollywood, Asians have historically been underrepresented or stereotyped, but that's changed in recent years.

A joint study by Gold House and USC Annenberg found the percentage of speaking Asian characters in top box office films in the U.S. rose from 3.4 percent in 2007 to 15.9 percent in 2022. The roles themselves are more complex.

The age of streaming has also ushered in more opportunities for diverse storytelling.

LAKSMI: I think what the industry has realized is that Asian creativity and Asian talent is, A, different; and B, lucrative. You know, that's been wonderful to see people take chances and how we've knocked it out of the park.

JOEL KIM BOOSTER, ACTOR AND COMEDIAN: Events like this are so exciting to me, because when I was coming up in this industry, I think there was a lot of energy of, like, there's only going to be one of us in the room. It's so rewarding to be in a space like this where we're all coming together and we're all supporting each other as a community. It's not something that I grew up imagining I'd have for myself.

STOUT (voice-over): Kristie Lu Stout, CNN, Hong Kong.

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HOLMES: And finally, two Austrian skydivers have made history by becoming the first people to complete a wing suit flight through London's iconic Tower Bridge.

The duo leapt from a helicopter at 3,000 feet above the River Thames on Sunday, as one does. They reached a top speed of 246 kilometers an hour. That stunt came after extensive training which involved the use of cranes to simulate the dimensions of the bridge.

Wouldn't catch me doing it, but I love that people do do that sort of thing.

Thanks for spending part of your day with me. I'm Michael Holmes. Stick around. WORLD SPORT is next. I'll see you with more news in 15 minutes.

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